Her story: Grace Katherine "Katie" Beach, 28, grew up in Catonsville. She is an accountant at the Social Security Administration office in Woodlawn. Her parents, Mary Lou and Tom Beach, live in Catonsville.

His story: Joseph "Joe" Benson, 29, grew up in Carney. He is an economist at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, also in Woodlawn. His mother, Charlotte Benson, lives in Parkville, and his father, Rodney Benson, lives in Washington, D.C.

Their story: Katie and Joe met in October of 2008 when mutual college friends introduced them at the Claddagh Pub in Canton. Their first date was dinner and drinks at Saute Restaurant and Bar in Canton. They dated for four years until Joe proposed in June 2012. They now live in Canton.

The proposal: On the day after the infamous derecho storm that hit in summer of 2012, Katie and Joe went for a run through Fells Point. Afterward, they stopped for breakfast at the Fells Point farmers' market and Joe proposed as they were eating by the water.

"I was very, very surprised," says Katie. "It was such a crazy day because no one had power and the whole city was a mess from that storm."

The venue: About 150 guests attended the ceremony at St. Ignatius Church in Mount Vernon, and the Rev. William J. Watters presided. The reception was held at the nearby Peabody Library.

"We love the Peabody," says Katie. "We didn't really look at many venues. We just thought the Peabody was the perfect place as soon as we walked in."

Decor: Katie attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina, and says she loves the South, which was tied into the wedding and reception with a "Southern author" theme. The tables were named after writers, including Margaret Mitchell, William Faulkner and Harper Lee. Stacks of the authors' books were placed on each table along with floral centerpieces.

Flowers: Mary-Ruth Chapin, a floral designer based in Cockeysville, created the bouquets and centerpieces using white and green hydrangeas, peach, ivory and pink garden roses, peach hypericum berries and white stephanotis, which is believed to bring good luck.

The dress: The bride wore an ivory, strapless, A-line silk taffeta gown with an empire waist by Watters from Betsy Robinson's Bridal Collection in Pikesville. She also wore a gold beaded sash from Betsy Robinson's and Kate Spade earrings. Katie wore her grandmother's gold bracelet as her "something borrowed."

Bridesmaids' dresses: The women wore grapefruit pink sheath cocktail dresses with bows at the waist by Jenny Yoo from Garnish Boutique in Ruxton. They also wore Kate Spade earrings that were given as bridesmaids' gifts and gold open-toe high heels.

Men's attire: Joe and his groomsmen wore black tuxedos and bow ties from Tuxedo House in Timonium.

Music: Nightsong, a band from Entertainment Exchange in Silver Spring, played throughout the evening. Katie and Joe's first dance was choreographed to "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall & Oates.

Food and dessert: The Classic Catering People of Owings Mills provided dinner and dessert. The menu included beef tenderloin, crab cakes and sauteed vegetables. A three-tier cake with red velvet, vanilla and chocolate layers was decorated with buttercream icing, a Swiss dot pattern and a monogram. Miniature desserts, including chocolate mousse and cake pops, were placed on each guest table.

Favors: Guests received sugar cookies decorated with vanilla frosting and a gold 'B' from Truly Scrumptious Cookies on Etsy.

Special touches: Baskets of colored flip-flops were available for female guests who took their shoes off at the reception. Baltimore-Based event painter Patricia Bennett created a painting during the reception that combined scenes from the dance floor and library.

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